


Punning Around

by tattoosanta



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Bad Puns, Gen, Gift Exchange, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 15:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5590711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattoosanta/pseuds/tattoosanta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Izuki wanted was for someone to appreciate just how punny he really was. It took him going around to three different groups of people to find that person.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Punning Around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MochiUs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MochiUs/gifts).



> For the Kuroko no Basuke secret santa I participated in! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy Izuki's punning adventures~

Izuki never felt appreciated at Seirin for his brilliant puns. Hyuuga always told him to die, Aida gave him looks that just screamed ‘I have lost all faith in you’, Kiyoshi never got the jokes, Kuroko ignored him… so on and so forth.

That’s why he was so determined to find someone who truly appreciated just how funny he could be. He even brought along one of his best pun books with him: Volume 100. It was full of a bunch of different puns, from space to cats. “One of them has to make someone laugh!” 

With a determined grin, the regular point guard left his school to search for someone to appreciate his puns. He’d start in Tokyo--avoiding Kirisaki Daiichi, of course--then work his way out if no one there liked them. 

“Where to start…” Izuki mused as he tapped his chin with the top of his book and walked quietly down the street toward what he thought might be Shuutoku or Touou (he didn’t know, he’d only ever taken buses to those places). 

Apparently, he had walked all the way to Touou. He didn’t know how, but he’d ended up there. “As good a place as any! Maybe I’ll find someone in here.” With that, he pushed the gym doors open and looked around. 

Momoi, who had been standing by the doors, turned and offered the third year a bright smile. If she was surprised by the sudden intrusion, it didn’t show. It must’ve been all the times Aomine burst into her house with no warning. “Hello, Izuki-kun! How can we help you?” 

“Hi Momoi.” Izuki smiled. She would be perfect, he could tell her some dumb puns and hope she laughed. “Actually, I think you can help me with something. Unless you’re busy.” 

The pink haired girl shook her head and turned so she could fully face the taller boy. “Nope! I was just watching to make sure practice went smoothly, but the former senpai are here so they can take over for me.” She giggled a little bit. “What can I help you with?”

“Well…” Izuki looked from Momoi to the gym floor, then back again. He’d just start with something simple and hope she didn’t hit him. “I’d tell you a Chemistry joke, but I know I wouldn’t get a reaction.” 

Momoi blinked a few times and stared blankly up at Izuki, like she had just heard the dumbest thing in the world. “Izuki-kun, are you telling me puns?” She didn’t know what she had expected. _No wonder Tetsu-kun and Kagamin tell me to avoid him…_

The point guard just smiled in response. “Have you ever tried eating a clock, Momoi? I’ve heard it’s very time consuming.” 

At that, Momoi offered a small giggle that was definitely a courtesy laugh and put on her best “you tried” smile. “You’re very clever, Izuki-kun!” _Please don’t tell me any more_. 

Izuki took the hint and just pat the younger girl’s head. “Thanks, Momoi. I’ll let you get back to watching your team play.” Momoi was very good at giving courtesy laughs, at least. He would have to give her that. 

“Oh, alright!” Momoi smiled and nodded, not-so-secretly relieved Izuki wasn’t going to tell her anything else. “If you want to go tell other people your jokes, I’m sure Takao-kun would love to hear some!” Or he’d hate her for sending the pun master to him. 

“Thanks!” Izuki beamed at the manager and waved as he turned around. “See you around, Momoi!” With that, the point guard pulled the doors to the gym open and walked out. “...Now to find Shuutoku.” 

Izuki wandered around for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably only about half of one. “I should’ve asked Momoi for directions…” Too late now, though. He couldn’t even remember how he left Touou. 

Luckily for him, before he could give up and try to find a bus to the train station, he heard a familiar yell of “Takao!” from not too far away. “Shuutoku must be that way, then.” 

Sure enough, as he rounded the corner, Shuutoku came into view. Midorima and Takao were standing outside cooling off from practice, and Takao seemed to be laughing at something he did while the taller of the two glared down at him. 

“Oh, hey Izuki!” Takao greeted breathlessly when he noticed the older boy approaching. “Shouldn’t you be at practice?” 

Izuki shook his head and shrugged a little bit. “Nah, I’ve got the day off. Coach gave me permission because I wouldn’t shut up.” He accentuated that last statement with a laugh and a bright smile that only grew when Midorima shifted his gaze to give the older teen a glare. “Hey, did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda?”

Both second years blinked in surprise, then Midorima narrowed his eyes and whispered a soft “No”, like he knew what was coming. Takao, on the other hand, just looked confused. “No, I didn’t.”

“Well, he was lucky it was a soft drink.” Izuki grinned and tried his best to ignore the ‘done with your shit’ glare he was getting from the taller boy. “I mean hey, at least it didn’t pop anything out of place!” 

Takao snorted. “Izuki, your puns are seriously the worst.” He at least seemed amused by the wordplay. Not enough to laugh, but amused nonetheless. Midorima on the other hand… 

He just looked angry. “Do you have a reason for coming and bothering us with your bad jokes?” The green haired teen asked, his arms crossed. Clearly, he wasn’t pleased--or even a little bit interested. Honestly, Izuki had to wonder what Takao saw in the guy. 

“I’m on the hunt,” Izuki started and looked up at Midorima steadily; “to find someone who will appreciate just how punny I am!” If Hyuuga had been there, he definitely would’ve been smacked upside the head. “It doesn’t seem like many people in Tokyo appreciate my humerus jokes, though.” 

“Izuki...” Takao rolled his eyes. “You’re hilarious. Now please leave before Shin-chan decides to go inside and grab his lucky item to beat you with it.” It might just have been that the younger point guard was trying to protect him, but Izuki swore he saw a look in the hawk boy’s eyes that said “tell me one more pun and I won’t stop him”. 

He took the hint. “Yeah.” The black haired teen smiled and nodded, a somewhat nervous chuckle bubbling up from his throat. “I don’t know what it is today, but I’d rather not be on the receiving end of it.” He’d just have to go find someone else to pester. 

Izuki offered both second years a big smile as he turned around and lifted his hand to wave while walking away. “See you guys later!” 

“Bye, Izuki!” Takao smiled back and waved a bit himself, then shook his head and laughed quietly. “He really is something else. It’s a wonder Seirin puts up with him.” He gently elbowed his partner in the side to loosen him up and watched as Izuki walked away. “I wonder where he’s off to next…” 

\------

Izuki wasn’t sure why, but he felt like Kyoto would be a good place to try and get someone to appreciate him. He could always use the excuse that he was checking out colleges, anyway. When he got off at the train station, he made sure to grab a map and ask for directions to certain places before setting off.

“If I remember correctly, this is where Kuroko’s friend Akashi lives…” He mumbled as he walked down the street, looking over the map in his hands. “If I can find his house and somehow convince him to come with me, maybe he’ll appreciate my brilliant puns.” He didn’t know much about the short second year beyond the fact he was terrifying on the court, but it was worth a shot, right? 

“Now I just have to find his house…” 

The Akashi estate wasn’t terribly difficult to find. It was huge, and almost everyone in town seemed to know how to get there. Izuki found his way to the manor with very little difficulty. “Damn…” He whistled. “And it’s just him and his dad?”

He couldn’t help but feel a little bit nervous as he approached the gates and quietly pushed one open to walk up to the front door. “Okay Shun, you can do this. It’s not like you’re asking the kid out or anything.” He was pretty sure Kuroko would kill him if he even tried, anyway. 

After a few moments of being wishy-washy and indecisive, Izuki finally raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door. “I hope it’s not his dad that answers…”

Luckily, instead of a stern older gentleman like he had been expecting, the door was opened by the young master of the house himself. Since it was Saturday afternoon, Akashi was dressed casually, and seemed to be much more relaxed than any other time Izuki had seen him. “...Izuki-san?” 

“Hey.” Izuki greeted with a gentle smile and a simple raise of his hand. “Surprised to see me?” 

The redhead nodded a little bit, but opened the door and gestured for Izuki to come inside. “Yes, I am surprised. Did Kuroko send you?” Usually, Kuroko sent Kagami or Kiyoshi. Maybe they were busy… 

“Nope, I came here on my own.” Izuki shook his head. “I wanted to chat, you know? Get to know you a little better.” For the most part, at least. “I mean, right now I have this image of you during our match, so I’d like to change it before I graduate, you know?”

“Oh, yes, that makes sense.” Akashi nodded again. “Well… make yourself at home, I suppose. Would you like anything to drink or eat?” 

Izuki shook his head as he sat down on the couch and looked around the huge living room. “No, I ate on the way here. Thanks, though!” He smiled and pulled out his book to look over a few of the newer puns he had written down. 

Akashi nodded quietly and came over to the couch to sit beside Izuki. Normally, he wouldn’t ask any questions about the book, but the title “Volume 100” piqued his interest.  
“What’s that you have there?”

Izuki blinked and turned to the redhead. “Oh, it’s a pun book!” 

“A pun book?” 

“Yep! I write down the puns I think of in this book, then I relay them to other people.” He sounded so proud of himself--as he should have been, 100 volumes is a lot of puns--despite the confused look he was getting from Rakuzan’s captain. 

“You write down every pun you think of?” Akashi asked. “And you have 100 volumes of them?” He was impressed, to say the least. “Are they any good?” 

Izuki laughed. “If you ask anyone else, they’re going to tell you no. I think they’re pretty good, though.” He put his finger in the book to keep his place so he could focus more on the younger redhead beside him. “Want to hear them?” 

“Oh.” Akashi blinked in surprise. “Well, if you’d like to tell me some.” He honestly had no clue what he was getting himself into. 

“Great!” Izuki smiled and opened the pun book again, beginning to leaf through the pages to find some good ones. “Well, have I ever told you you look like a cat? It’s _paws_ itively adorable!” 

Akashi stopped for a moment as if to think over the joke, then a small smile crossed his face. “Clever, Izuki-san.” It was amusing, at least. 

“Thanks. You’re the _purr_ fect audience.” Izuki grinned when the smile on the redhead’s face grew. This was something he could work with. “Your smile is really nice. I’m not even kitten you right meow.” 

At that, despite the blush spreading across his cheeks, Akashi covered his mouth with his hand so he could giggle quietly at the joke. “Those are terrible.” _But funny_.

“You’re laughing.” Izuki pointed out, a big, happy grin spreading across his face. “I think we’re going to be great fur-ends, Akashi-kun.” 

Akashi rolled his eyes in amusement and let out another quiet laugh at the terrible joke. “I would like that, Izuki-san. Just as long as you aren’t constantly telling me these awful jokes.”

Izuki snorted and put a hand over his heart in mock hurt, but the pleased smile on his face gave him away. Finally, he found someone who could truly appreciate his puns. “Oh come on, you know I’m punny!” 

“Izuki-san!”


End file.
